


Sneak Peak

by NurseMedusa (orphan_account)



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, But happiness eventually, Gen, I think that's in here somewhere, Suffering, Threeshot, Time Travel, a bit of PTSD, post-The End
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-07-11 14:52:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7057000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/NurseMedusa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four teenagers get to see a glimpse into their futures.</p><p>None of them like what they see.</p><p>Especially Tord.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Past

**Author's Note:**

> Oooh boy! Time travel, that's a fun thing, right? Anyway, here's a threeshot that I wrote at eleven o'clock at night when I really should've been sleeping.
> 
> Enjoy~!

Tord didn’t know what to expect from the new day as he woke up.  It was a day like any other, waking up, getting dressed, and dragging himself out the door to get to the bus stop on time.  He groaned and checked his watch.  The bus was late  _ again _ .  He rocked back and forth on his feet until the vehicle finally showed up a few minutes later.  Walking into the oversized car, he saw that it was almost completely full, as per usual.

“Good morning Tord!” He looked up, blinking a few times in his half-asleep state to see his three closest friends in the back.  The one in green, Edd, was currently smiling at him and waving.  Tord smiled and waved back as he walked down the cramped isle of people ranging from toddlers to fully grown adults waiting to arrive at school.  He sat down next to Edd and behind their other two friends, Tom and Matt.

“How was your weekend?” Matt asked happily as the bus started back up.

“Way shorter than I wanted it to be, as usual.” He glanced over at Tom, who was currently trying incredibly hard to keep his, oddly black, eyes open. “What happened to you?” He asked the blue-clad male who quietly groaned at the question.

“Y’know those essays we had to do for Miss Smith’s class?” Tom asked.

“The vocab thing that we had to make pictures for?” Edd responded and Tom nodded. “What about them?”

“I completely forgot about it until eleven last night.” Tord laughed at his misery and Edd scowled at him.

“Tom!  You have to be more responsible!” Edd said in a commanding tone. “You can’t keep forgetting homework until the last minute!” Edd looked at his friend in concern, but he had fallen asleep.  Matt smirked and pulled out a marker.

“Wanna draw all over his face?” The other two smiled.

“Hell yes.” Tord answered as Matt uncapped the evil pen.  The three scribbled all over their friend’s face until the school was in sight.  Matt closed the marker and Tord leaned towards Tom closely.  He was right next to his ear before he shouted.

“HEY!  JEHOVAH'S WITNESS!” Tom bolted up and his eyes went white while Matt and Tord high-fived and Edd admired their handiwork.   **YOU LOOK LOVELY TODAY** was written on his cheeks, courtesy of Edd.   **GAY** was scribbled on his forehead thanks to Tord.   **MATT IS COOLER THAN ME** was written by...well, I think you can figure out that one.  All three laughed at him.

“What’s so funny?” He hesitantly asked.  Matt pulled out one of the many mirrors he always carried and showed Tom his reflection.  Tom’s face turned bright red as he pulled a water bottle out of his bag, hoping to scrub off the writing.  By the time the bus had parked, most of it was gone aside from a few black smudges here and there.  Tom was still, however, faintly blushing.  Tord was still giggling at his friend’s misery as the quartet walked off the bus.

“Admit it, that was hilarious.” He said, shrugging innocently.  Tom only glared at him as they walked into the school building.  Unknown to the four of them, a looming figure watched all of them from the distance, plotting the best time to strike.

 

_ Later… _

 

The four were standing alone on the sidewalk waiting for the bus, all of their bags weighed down significantly by textbooks.

“I can’t believe we have another assignment in Miss Smith’s class tonight.” Tom groaned.

“The one this weekend was dumb enough, oh yes, let’s write down the definitions to the words and then draw pictures of all of them.” Tord ranted. “How are you supposed to draw inflation?!” He shouted while looking into the sky.

“At least you don’t have Mister Cooper for math.  He didn’t really explain what we’re supposed to be doing tonight.” Edd said. “Or any night for that matter.” Matt yawned and pulled a small mirror out of his backpack.  He looked at his reflection and smiled at himself before seeing something in the background.  Matt quickly looked behind himself and saw a shadowy figure hiding near the school dumpsters.  He paled.

“Um...Matt, are you okay?” Tord asked.

“Yeah, it’s odd to see you look away from your mirror like that.” Edd noted.  Matt pointed towards the person, who noticed that they had been spotted and quickly moved out of sight.

“Who was that guy?” Tom asked.

“Think it’s just a crazy old homeless guy?” Tord questioned.  Edd thought about it for a second and was about to answer before someone else did for him.

“I’m not crazy, old, or homeless.” The man was right behind Edd.  He looked up at his three friends and saw them all staring at something behind him.

“The crazy homeless man is right behind me, isn’t he?” The man turned Edd around and yelled at him.

“What did I JUST say?!” He awkwardly coughed. “Sorry about that.  Anyway, there’s something important we have to discuss.” Edd glanced at his friends, all of them wore the same look of confusion. “It’s about your futures.” Tom groaned.

“Are you one of those guys that schools hire to boost morale or whatever?” He asked with a deadpan expression.  The man glared right back at him.

“What?  You think that’s what I’m here about?” He face-palmed and then looked at Edd. “Look, you might not believe me, but I’m you from the future.” He pointed at the Cola-lover as he spoke, then he moved his gaze towards Tord. “And I’m here to, possibly, stop the greatest catastrophe you four will ever face.”

“Which is..?” Edd impatiently asked, gesturing for his future self to continue.  The man pointed at Tord.

“Him.”


	2. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Death is only the end if you assume the story is about you."  
> -Welcome To Nightvale Twitter page

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for more suffering because reasons. Also, time travel is a very confusing topic to cover so...um...this chapter gets a bit...odd. There are three Edds coexisting at one point, to give some indication of how confusing this was to write. I hope it's not as confusing to read as it was to write!
> 
> Enjoy~!

Tom, Matt, and Edd all turned to face Tord before looking back at Future Edd.

“Tord?  Really?” Tom asked.  Matt leaned in extremely close to Tord, who was honestly uncomfortable with the ginger breathing down his neck.  Fortunately for him, Matt quickly backed off.

“He doesn’t look evil.” Tord glared at him.

“It’s because I’m not!” He said defensively.

“Yeah, I have to agree with Commie on this one.” Tom spoke up. “He may be a Commie but it’s not like he’ll ever amount to anything.”

“Hey!  I heard that!” Tord retorted.  Tom smirked.

“I know.” Edd looked at his future self.

“You’re me, you should know that I trust my friends.  You can’t honestly expect me to believe this.” Future Edd nodded.

“Alright, but what if I showed you?” All four of them gave him confused looks. “You don’t think I got here through magic, did you?” He pulled the black trench coat he was wearing up to his elbow, revealing a fancy device underneath.

“Holy poptart in a pencil sharpener..!” Tom said excitedly.

“Is that what I think it is..?” Tord rhetorically asked.

“No way!” Edd gasped. “I have a time machine?!” Future Edd pulled his arm away from the four.

“Yes-I mean no-I mean not yet you don’t.” He answered Edd. “Now that that’s out of the way, I can show you what happens.  It is an event that changes all four of you forever.”

“Why exactly are you doing this?” Tord asked as Future Edd pressed some buttons on the machine.

“Everyone deserves a second chance.” Future Edd looked down at the ground sadly. “Maybe if I show you four what’s going to happen then it’ll happen differently, or not at all.” He sighed and looked back up. “The point is, we all made huge mistakes that day.  Maybe this will fix some of them.” He wordlessly entered the rest of the information into the device before hold out his arm for them to grab. “Now hold on tight, I’d rather not have any of you get erased from existence.” He pointed at Edd. “Especially you because then the paradoxes would be disastrous to take care of.” Edd quietly gulped and the four all looked closely at each other, wondering what could’ve possibly happened to them in the future as Future Edd pressed the big button on the machine, sending the five flying through time.

 

_ Later… _

 

When the world stopped spinning, Tord looked around.

“Where are we?” He asked.  The other three were still recovering from the trip while Future Edd stood at the top of the cliff, staring downward.

“March sixteenth, the year is two thousand and sixteen.” Tord was surprised how far off that date was.  It would be just over ten years until it hit. “We’re at our home.” Future Edd continued as the others joined him at the edge.

“Our home?” Edd asked, looking at the bright yellow house that Future Edd was pointing to.

“At this time, you three have lived there for ten years.” He pointed at Tom, Matt, and Edd as he spoke, successfully confusing them all again.

“Three?  Then what happened to me?” Tord asked, concern dripping from his voice.  Future Edd didn’t answer, instead he pointed at the house again.

“Just watch.” The four stared down as a large hole opened up in the ground and a giant robot rose out of it.  A slightly older Edd and Matt both walked down the sidewalk with looks of shock and fear on their faces.

“Tord!  What’s going on?!” The Edd shouted.  Tord stared back up at the robot.

“Am...I in there?” He quietly asked.

_ “Hey Edd!  Sorry, I just couldn’t leave this behind!”  _ Tord heard his own accent blast through the speakers, answering his question.  _ “Thanks for holding onto it for me!”  _ He felt sick to his stomach, worried for himself.

“But I thought we were...I thought we were friends!” The Edd standing on the sidewalk pleaded.

_ “Ha!  No!  What would I need friends for when I’ve got this?!”  _ The older Tord shouted as Present Tord paled in horror.  _ “I’m unstoppable!  Haha!” _

“This...this is my future..?” He quietly asked while all of his friends stared at him in concern.

“HEY!  SUNSHINE LOLLIPOPS!” Tom’s voice cut through the air and the four looked back at the house.  They saw Tom standing in the doorway holding something. “Take a seat!” He shouted, throwing a small cube that expanded into a chair.  It bounced off the robot without even slightly denting it.

_ “Oh, shut up!”  _ Tord shouted as he fired a rocket at the house, causing Future Edd to flinch.

“Tord, NO!” The older Edd shouted.  The four watched in silent horror as the rocket brought the house down on top of Tom.  Tord’s vision began to cloud with water.  A few tears slipped down the sides of his face.

“I don’t want this.” He quietly said as the older Edd cried out Tom’s name. “I would never do this!” He yelled, unheard by their older selves over all the chaos around him.  They stared over the cliff as Tom emerged from the rubble clutching a harpoon gun.

“I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND!” He shouted, firing it straight into the older Tord’s robot, which then exploded.  Red metal shards rained from the sky and scattered themselves all over the ground.  Edd, Matt, and Tom all stared at their Tord who was still observing the fading explosion cloud, searching for any sign of life.  The three all wrapped their arms around Tord.

“I’m sure you want me to explain all of that, don’t you?” Tord solemnly nodded and Future Edd sighed. “Eight years before this, Tord moved out.  He said he was going to try and fulfill his dreams and whatnot.  Well, he showed up one day and all this happened.  Turns out, he made quite the name for himself over those years.  He started an army and tried to take over the world.  This was his plan to really start taking over.  Had Tom not have shot him down, well, let’s just say the future would be very different.” Tord stared down at the pile of rubble and the  back up at the fading clouds.

“Did I just..?”

“Die?  No.” Future Edd pointed to a part of the cliffs further away from them.  Looking over, the four saw what was left of the cockpit sitting on the hill smoldering. “You survived, barely.” He said grimly. “After that, well...that’s where the rest of your future comes in.” Future Edd stood up and walked away from the edge of the cliff. “Are you ready to go?  We’ve got one last stop to make.” The three looked at Tord with concerned expressions.  He quickly dried his tears on his hoodie and spared his older self one final glance before looking up at Future Edd and nodding. “Then, what are we waiting for?” He asked, activating the machine.


	3. Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All good things...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter and ooooh boy it's a doozy. I literally cannot believe I just wrote that. I'm sorry if you're now blind because of that, although, if that's the case, it's not like you can read what I'm writing anyway.
> 
> Enjoy~!

Tom looked around the dark room he found himself in.  Before he could call out to his friends, however, someone else spoke.

“Paul?  Patryk?  Is that one of you?” Tom turned around and saw a face he recognized, but one he didn’t at the same time.  It was Tord, but half of his face was misshapen, it almost appeared to have melted and then been frozen.  He was wearing a military uniform that was blue and red, but those weren’t the most offsetting details about him.  What really frightened Tom were the robotic eye and arm.  Both were black and red, standing out against his heavily-scarred flesh.  The bright red dot and normal eye both shook in fear and anger at the sight of Tom.

“You?!” He yelled, marching over to Tom. “You think you can just show up here after what you did to me?!” Edd and Matt both jumped out of the shadows, holding their arms over Tom defensively.

“Tord stop!” Edd pleaded.

“This Tom hasn’t done anything to you yet, we swear!” Tord looked at both of them, first in confusion and then in rage.

“Is this some sort of joke?  Or have I finally lost it?” He laughed, seemingly having lost some of his sanity in the explosion as well. “Whatever the case may be, this can be solved easily enough!” He reached his robotic hand backwards, preparing to swing it at the three, but something stopped him.  Tord turned around only to see himself tightly grasping the red metal as if his life depended on it.  The younger Tord wore a look of fear and sadness, tear tracks running down the sides of his face.

“Please, don’t hurt them…” He begged. “Don’t hurt them any more!  I can’t take it!” Future Tord jerked himself out of Past Tord’s grasp and backed away from the four.

“What the hell is going on here?!” He shouted. “Is this what I get?  Am I dead and this is my eternal punishment?” He slowly traced his left hand down the disfigured side of his face. “Is this not enough?  Does some unknown deity want me to suffer more?!” He shouted.  Future Edd stepped out of the shadows and then Future Tord laughed. “Of course, now it all makes sense!  Of course you’re behind it all!  Well, what was it you were looking for?  Tears, remorse, anger, repentance, sorrow?  Or maybe something else...hell if I know.”

“Tord, I brought them here to try and prevent this.  To try and keep you safe.  To get you to come home.” Future Tord laughed even harder.

“So that’s what this is about then?” Future Edd stared at his friend in sorrow.

“Please, just give up!” He pleaded. “It’s over!  There’s nowhere you can run!” He looked up and Future Tord sadly. “Just come home.” Future Tord seemed expressionless for a second, mentally debating how to react to everything.  He looked at the ground sorrowfully.

“Please, just go.” He pointed at his younger self. “Leave him here, though.  I want to talk with him.” Future Edd slowly nodded and the four walked out of the room, leaving Tord alone to face his future. "Must suck, seeing yourself like this." Future Tord chuckled sadly at his own misery. “So, I’m guessing he showed you what happened that day?  The day everything fell apart?” Tord nodded and his future self chuckled again. “To think, all that really did get to my head, now look at me.” He pulled a cigar out of his coat and slowly lit it.  Taking a deep breath, he turned to face his younger self. “Don’t be me.” He said, grabbing the attention of the teenager. “It’s too late to save this timeline.  I’m done for, without a doubt.  But, you still have hope.” He looked his younger self in the eye. “Just, remember what’s important.  What you treasure the most.  Focus on that, not on crazy dreams.” He put the remains of the cigar into an ashtray on his desk. “You know what they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.” Tord looked up at his future self and nodded.  Future Tord turned away, instead choosing to stare at random papers on his desk.

“Did it hurt?” He turned around and looked at his past self. “Saying that to Edd.” Tord hesitated slightly, wondering if he should bring it up. “Saying that you weren’t friends.” A tear rolled down Future Tord’s cheek.

“It’s never stopped hurting since.” He ran a hand through his younger self’s hair before walking him out to the hall.  He looked at Future Edd for only a second before turning away. “I’m sorry, for everything.” He walked back into the dark room, shutting the door behind himself quietly.  Future Edd looked at the four teens in front of him.

“Time to go home.”

 

_ Later… _

 

Tom groaned and slammed his face into his desk.

“How exactly am I supposed to tell my teacher that I lost sleep last night because I was time traveling without proving that I was time traveling?” He complained before yawning.

“Maybe I should’ve faked sick like Matt.” Edd said, eyeing the ginger’s empty desk. “How about you Tord?” Tord, meanwhile, was staring at a paper on his desk that he had been mindlessly scribbling on for a minute or two in red pen.  He began to visibly shake in fear. “Tord?  Are you alright?” Edd looked over at the paper and saw the symbol that had been all over Future Tord’s room yesterday.  Edd quickly tore the page out of Tord’s notebook and quickly crumpled it up.  He tossed it into a nearby recycling bin and looked back down at his friend. “Are you okay?” Tord looked up.  He was scared.

“No...I’m worried Edd.” He said, shaking. “I don’t ever want to do those things.  I can’t become that man.” He said quietly.  Edd wrapped his arms around Tord and hugged him tightly.

“It’s okay, I’m here.  So are Matt and Tom.  We’ll look out for you.  You don’t have to worry, we’re here for you, no matter what.” Tord smiled.

“Even if I blow up our house?” Edd smiled right back at him.

“Even if you blow up our house.” Meanwhile, off in the distance, Future Edd smiles.

“Looks like my work here is done.” He smiled before disappearing into an unknown future. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this little story of mine!  
> See you in whatever I write next~!
> 
> Bye~!


End file.
